S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems trimmed its position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,004 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 303 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in S&P Global were worth $10,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SPGI. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in S&P Global by 106.6% in the fourth quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,948 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,468,000 after purchasing an additional 1,521 shares during the period. ING Groep NV acquired a new position in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $7,146,000. Flossbach Von Storch SE increased its stake in S&P Global by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE now owns 724,465 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $360,805,000 after purchasing an additional 8,549 shares during the period. Boston Financial Mangement LLC increased its stake in S&P Global by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 7,933 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,951,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, First Bank & Trust increased its stake in S&P Global by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 4,024 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,004,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Stock Performance

NYSE:SPGI opened at $536.21 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $509.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $508.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $165.05 billion, a PE ratio of 43.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.20. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $407.69 and a 1-year high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s payout ratio is currently 29.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, S&P Global currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $590.23.

S&P Global Company Profile

S&P Global, Inc engages in the provision of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. It operates through the following segments: Market Intelligence, Ratings, Commodity Insights, Mobility, Indices, and Engineering Solutions.